– I think that it is very low and it is not in keeping with the burden of being exposed to abuse. Stine Reksten (29) says so to news. In 2021, she appeared on news and told how she had gathered evidence against her own abuser. A grown man from the interior who is now serving 12 years in prison for raping five underage girls over many years. He never admitted guilt, but the court never doubted that he should be sentenced both to prison and to pay victim compensation. All the way back in 2009, the local child welfare services and the police in Sunnfjord were able to stop the man. They knew that Stine was with “an adult friend”, they knew who he was and that he had traveled to the area. This has been deeply regretted by child welfare and the police. Nevertheless, the sum is not higher than NOK 250,000. In general, the level of what you get in compensation when the public makes a mistake is quite small. For example, a family man received NOK 170,000 when he was innocently accused of killing his own children. – Now there must be a review of these sums, says rape victim Stine Reksten. Stine is now current with her own podcast about what she has been through. Do not want to admit guilt – I want to apologize to Stine that child protection was not able to prevent the abuse. So I want to say sorry to her for that. This is what the head of child protection in Sunnfjord, Ove Mjåtveit, told news in 2021: Afterwards, Reksten was promised compensation from the municipality and now their final offer has come: NOK 250,000. Now the municipality’s lawyer has established that the municipality had no direct fault in what happened. – The cause is not an acknowledgment that mistakes or negligence have been made that lead to liability for damages, states municipal attorney Bjørnar Ring Karlsen in a letter news has had access to. Instead, Sunnfjord municipality believes that they can go the extra mile to give Reksten what they call compensation for “tort and pain” of NOK 250,000. At first they only wanted to give 100,000. The letter they send states, among other things, the following: “We do not disregard the fact that representatives of the municipality in various contexts may have made your client aware that she can make claims for compensation. That does not mean, however, that there is acknowledged responsibility in the case.” The man convicted of rape worked for many years as a driver, among other things for the tour of the VG list. Photo: Private – Must be changed The case of Stine Reksten and her fight to get the serial rapist convicted will draw a lot of attention in 2021. – I’m doing as well as possible now. But my whole life has been a big burden. It is an achievement in itself that I have persevered and am still here, says Reksten now. She reacts strongly to the fact that there are low sums for those who receive compensation for “tort and svie”. Reksten believes that it is high time to look at the speech. – By having such low compensation amounts, you send out a signal that it is not that important. That must be changed, Reksten believes. Sunnfjord municipality believes they have gone a long way when they are now offering a quarter of a million kroner. – Do you think the offer you have received from the municipality matches the childhood you had? – It does not match at all in the Norwegian welfare state, says Stine Reksten. YOUNG VICTIM: Stine Reksten met her abuser on the internet when she was 13 years old. Photo: Privat Refuses to be interviewed news has spoken to several of the leaders in Sunnfjord municipality and we have asked for an interview. But they refuse to give us that. Instead, municipal attorney Bjørnar Ring Karlsen sent an email to news on behalf of municipal director Terje Heggheim: “Sunnfjord municipality has apologized for what has happened, and we have now also entered into an amicable agreement on financial compensation. The agreement is a full and final settlement of all matters, and puts an end to the matter. When the case has been concluded with a settlement between the parties, the municipality does not find it appropriate to ask for an interview or give further comments.” news has followed up with the following questions, which the municipality has so far not answered: – What is the reason why they think this is not possible? – Is it to be understood that Sunnfjord municipality has something to lose by being open about what is the basis for your decision? So what do they have to lose? Taking the case to the Supreme Court Lawyer Olaf Halvorsen Rønning at Elden law firm is one of the most experienced in this type of case in Norway and believes that a review is high time. – The general level of Norwegian law on restitution is at a moderate level. Especially compared to what we see internationally, says Rønning. LOOKING FORWARD: Stine Reksten is still struggling with the after-effects of the abuse she was subjected to. She will also be a voice for those girls and boys who do not dare to tell about their experiences. Photo: Jorunn Hatling / news Works with podcast Despite everything, life has changed for the better for Stine since the trial against the serial abuser in autumn 2020. She and the other girls received compensation through the verdict, money that the abuser must spend the rest of his life paying back to the state. Reksten has completed higher education, she works with her own podcast and she spends a lot of time with her family. But the trauma and wounds of a ruined childhood will always be there. She is still hurt that child welfare did not intervene when they could have in 2009. A fee of NOK 250,000 from the municipality is hardly a band-aid for the wound. – I’m starting to wonder what a childhood is worth, says Reksten. Excerpt from reporting between the police and child protection in 2009. In an earlier version of this article, there were several quotes from the Civil Justice Administration that were linked to the legal compensation scheme, which is a subsidiary compensation scheme. These quotes have been removed because they were statements about other, ordinary compensation schemes. Do you know something I should know? Do you have any tips in this or other matters? Get in touch, we treat all information confidentially. The hunt for the serial rapist A man in his 50s from Innlandet was sentenced in 2020 to 12 years in prison and to pay millions in compensation after rape and assault of a total of five girls The police tracked down the man after Stine Reksten from Sunnfjord came to them with documentation for abuse over several years The abuser was for a number of years a driver for various companies, among other things he drove audio equipment for the VG list He was also active locally and regionally in the Red Cross in the interior – there too there was a warning against the man which was not taken seriously
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Stine Reksten gets 250,000 as a plaster on the wound for ruined childhood – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
